White Chocolate
by ilovemybishies87
Summary: Taking that girl as my wife may not be a bad idea. Kijin had been joking when he had said it. After all, it was a ridiculous proposition, one that Shuurei would never accept. Fate, it seemed, thought otherwise. Kijin/Shuurei and a little Ryuuki/Shuurei
1. Chapter 1

Title: White Chocolate  
Pairing: Kijin/Shuurei with touch of Ryuuki/Shuurei  
Rating: T

A/N: Hello everyone! Although this is most certainly not my first fanfic, it _is_ my first SaiMono one.

The story is slightly AU/alternate timeline, following the anime up until about episode 19 or so before diverging from canon.

Thank you for reading. Please read and review!

* * *

"Are you excited, Houju?" Kei Yuuri asked, turning to the masked man walking with him.

"I told you not to call me that," Kou Houjou, known by almost everyone else as Kou Kijin, replied irritably. "And why should I be? It's not the first placement ceremony for examinees that I've attended, and it will doubtfully be the last."

Yuuri laughed nervously. "I suppose that's true, but I would have thought you'd be a little more interested in this one. After all, we get to find out where Shuu-kun will be placed."

Kijin stopped as he remembered the young women one who had dressed as a boy, just so she could work for him last summer. That's right. She was going to be in this ceremony too, wasn't she? Next to him, Yuuri look at him curiously.

"Houju?"

Shaking his head, he started walking again. "I told you not to call me that." Before Yuuri was able to apologize, he added, "But you bring up a valid point. Perhaps this ceremony will be more tolerable than the others."

"It would be wonderful if she was assigned to our department, don't you think?" Yuuri asked, a large smile on his face.

"Hm."

Kou Shuurei. The name stirred something deep within him that he couldn't quite place. Kijin remembered when he had first laid eyes on her, dressed in those clothes that made her look like the young boy she was trying to pass herself off as. Even he had been fooled to a degree, although he always felt there was something off. It wasn't until a certain thunderstorm had made it exceedingly clear that the diligent, hard-working boy that was working for him was, in fact, a diligent, hard-working young women.

He could still remember, with surprisingly clarity, the way she had tackled him after the first roll of thunder, her arms wrapping around his waist as they landed on the couch he had been resting on moments before. She had been screaming, loudly and incoherently, her whole body shaking as another roll of thunder filled the room. He had been at a total loss of how calm her down. In the end, he had patted her on the head gently as her tears stained the silk of his robes.

The fact that Yuuri and that man, Ensei, had found them in a - to put it lightly - compromising situation was something he purposefully tried to forget. He was thankful that it had only been those two who had walked in on them or else there would be even _more_ rumors about his eccentricities. Of course, for the next few hours after the incident, he had to ignore the same, annoying questions from Yuuri about his 'sexual orientation'. In the end, a subtle-yet-effective threat of a heavy stamp thrown none-too-gently at his vice-chamberlain's head quieted him.

"If Shuu-kun isn't assigned to us-"

Speak of the devil.

"Why do you still call her by that name? Certainly you know by now she is not a young boy," Kijin said as they made entered the room the ceremony was being held.

"Ah, you're right. I got so used to calling her that, the name just stuck. Anyway, if Shuurei isn't going to be assigned to us, where else do you think she'll be placed?"

"It doesn't matter. Wherever she is placed, she'll thrive. That's the type of person she is."

Kijin had no doubt of her abilities. After all, she had a strength that no one he knew possessed. She had been through a lot these last couple of months, but he knew - and, he was certain, she knew - that everything would be worth it in the end.

And so, here he was yet again, watching all the examinees accept their new positions. One-by-one they were called to the front, and assigned to the different departments. So far, none of them had been assigned to him, a fact that hadn't escaped his vice-chamberlain's attention.

"Do you think this means we won't get a new official this time around?" Yuuri whispered as the seventh-ranked examinee returned to his spot.

Kijin shook his head. "I doubt it. The Department of Finance is always in need of new officials."

After the fifth-ranked examinee - whose name he could not recall, even if he had the desire to do so - returned to his spot, he breathed a small sigh of relief. Only three more people, since the Bougen, Ran Ryuuren, was - not surprising - absent from the ceremony.

"Kou Shuurei," Ryuuki said. "Come forward."

Kijin frowned. He knew there was someone who had ranked lower on the examinations than Shuurei that had not been called, and yet he had been skipped. What did the emperor think he was doing? He watched as she walked calmly and assertively to the front.

"Yes," she said, bowing deeply, her hands in her sleeves.

"Kou Shuurei, who passed as Tanka. You are to be assigned as a junior official to the Ministry of Finance, Department of Finance."

Less-than-subtle muttering had picked up among the officials, the noise getting progressively louder as the seconds passed. Apparently, her placement within the Department of Finance had been unexpected. Granted, it would have come as something of a surprise no matter where the young emperor had placed her. It would take time getting used to the concept of a woman as a government official.

"At least she wasn't assigned to us."

"Having to deal with a woman would have been unbearable."

"She'll fit in there very well, considering the department's eccentric chamberlain."

Yuuri turned to him, obviously trying his best not to say anything to the officials around them that he might later regret. "Can you believe all this? How can they say these things?"

"You're surprised?" Kijin questioned disbelievingly, watching Shuurei's expression carefully. He noticed a small twitch of her eyebrows, but nothing else. "I did not expect anything less."

"I suppose. Still, what fate we have, huh?" Yuuri asked. "I never expected her to be assigned to our department so soon!"

"Hm," he replied, not bother to look at his vice-chamberlain. He was inclined to agree.

Closing the scroll, Ryuuki held it out. "The Department of Finance is challenging, but I'm sure you are more then ready to meet the challenge. We're counting on you."

"I most humbly accept," Shuurei said, taking the scroll from him, her head bowed slightly.

Slowly, she walked back to her place, the chattering in the room dying down as the officials waited for the last two examinees to receive their assignments. Kijin, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. If it weren't for the fact that it would have been considered exceedingly rude to leave before the ceremony was completed, he would have done so. Instead, he chose to tune out the young emperor as he called the last two people to the front.

After all, the only part of the ceremony he had any interest in was over.

* * *

Early the next day, at least an hour before most of the other officials would step foot into the office, was quiet, the sunlight filtering in through the windows. It was Kijin's favorite part of the day, since he could get the most work done before the rest of the idiots would bother him.

"Good morning, Houju!" Yuuri called out, bowing slightly before taking his seat as his desk.

Thankfully for his vice-chamberlain, Kijin didn't have the patience to correct him. He didn't even bother looking up from the work in front of him. "Hm."

Another half-an-hour passed as they worked in silence, save for the slight creaking of the chair as Yuuri tried to find a more comfortable position. The pile to Kijin's left was almost half its original size when he heard light footsteps.

"Good morning!" a feminine voice said.

"Good morning to you too, Shuurei," Yuuri replied, turning back to face her. "You're here early."

"So are you and Kou-shousho," she pointed out. Looking around, she blinked in surprise. "No one else is here yet?"

Yuuri chuckled. "I'm afraid not. It's always like this, so I would get used to it."

"I see."

Kijin looked up, only to see her frowning at his vice-chamberlain's words. "Kou Shuurei."

"Yes!" she said, walking quickly to his desk with her familiar, bright smile. "What can I do for you?"

He had a feeling of a déjà vu. Her words and actions were familiar, although it didn't really surprised him. How many times had he heard her ask him that question last summer?

This was different, though. Last time, she had been Kou Shuu; this time, she was Kou Shuurei. She didn't have to hide the fact that she was a woman.

"You'll be working over there, with the other officials in the department," he said, pointing to a desk, stacked haphazardly with books and other loose papers, at the other end of the room. She turned around to look at it before returning her gaze to him. "Clear the desk: throw away anything that isn't needed, return any books or scrolls that don't belong in this department, and finish any work that hasn't been completed."

"I understand."

She nodded once and, turning around, nearly bumped into another official who had apparently come in at some time during his explanation. Shuurei blushed and bowed.

"Excuse me. I didn't see you there."

"Hmph." The official's eyes narrowed as he watched her make her way to the desk. Turning back to face Kijin, he said, "Good morning, Kou-shousho. I've already completed my duties from yesterday. What do you need me to do?"

Kijin rolled his eyes and sighed. He could tell it was going to be a very long day. After giving the official, Daiwa Lei, his duties for the day, he returned to the seemingly endless paperwork stacked on his desk. Soon, more officials trickled into the department, and started working on the various projects that had been left incomplete for the previous day.

To be honest, he was surprised there weren't any objections to the newest addition to their department, although he certainly wasn't complaining either.

"Excuse me."

Looking up from his work, he saw Shuurei, a huge pile of papers in her arms, and, in front of her, was Lei. She stepped to her left, hoping to get around him. With a smirk, he stepped to the right, so he was directly in front of her again. Sighing, she stepped to her right, only to find that he had stepped to his left. They continued their awkward, almost dance-like movement, earning snickers from the other officials.

Kijin sighed, not for the first time that day. He feared it wouldn't be the last, either. He should have known it was too good to be true.

"Excuse me," Shuurei repeated for the fifth time, her voice firmer and more insistent.

Lei smirked, brushing by her roughly, knocking some of the papers from the pile in her hands to the floor. "Forgive me, _hime_-san."

She said nothing, but her eyes narrowed as she knelt down, placed the stack of papers on the ground, and picked up the scattered sheets around her. Once she was done, she placed the loose sheets on top of the pile and brought them over to her desk.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she picked up her brush and started writing.

Kijin could tell Shuurei was starting to get annoyed, but it wasn't like she couldn't handle a little abuse from one of her fellow officials. After all, the last couple of months had proved that she could handle more than people gave her credit for.

Still, Lei was impeding her from completing her work, and, as a result, was delaying the department in its duties. That was unacceptable.

"Daiwa Lei," Kijin said firmly, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. He noticed that the other officials had suddenly gone quiet, returning to their work. "Since you seem so inclined to keep Kou Shuurei from her duties, does this mean you have finished?"

Lei's head snapped in his direction, obviously taken off-guard. He shook his head quickly, his face a bright shade of red. "N-no, Kou-shousho."

"Then perhaps you feel you do not have enough to do." Kijin looked at the steadily growing piles of paper on the floor next to his desk then back at Lei. "Those papers need to be disposed of. Make sure they are out of the department before the end of the day."

Lei flinched. "I understand."

"Also, make sure the rest of your tasks are finished before you leave. That is all," Kijin said with a tone of finality before placing a stamp on the document in front of him.

"I'll make sure to do so, Kou-shousho," Lei said dejectedly, bowing once before taking a handful of paper and leaving.

Shuurei looked back at him, a thankful smile gracing her lips. Kijin nodded slightly, just enough for her to see the action. Her smile widened, reaching to her eyes, before she returned to her work.

* * *

As the day continued, the other officials, having seen what had happened to Lei, wisely stayed out of Shuurei's way unless it was absolutely necessary to bother her. Kijin smirked as he continued with his work. He knew it had been a good idea to make an example out of Daiwa Lei. He'd never been particularly fond of the cocky, young official to begin with.

"Kou-shousho," Shuurei said as she walked to him, her eyes still bright and cheerful despite all the work she had done.

_Taking that girl as my wife may not be a bad idea..._

He had been joking when he had said it. After all, it was a ridiculous proposition, one that Shuurei - let alone the rest of her clan - would never accept. The only reason Kijin had mentioned it was to see Reishin's irked expression, and, like he had expected, his friend started shouting and pointing his fan at him accusingly.

Still, the idea stuck with him, in the some corner far back in his mind, and refused to leave. He pointedly ignore it for the most part, too busy with all the financial 'crises' that had popped up within a few months time. Every once in a while, though, he would entertain the idea and, as much as he hated to admit it, the more he thought about it, the less ridiculous it started sounding.

At the very least, he could admit to himself that having Shuurei as his wife would definitely be more than slightly pleasant.

"Kou-shousho?" she repeated, her voice breaking into his thoughts. She looked worried, her eyebrows furrowing. "Are you alright?"

"Hm."

He frowned, wondering why she would have asked such a thing in the first place. His eyes followed her gaze down to his right hand. It had ceased its stamping and writing for the last few minutes, apparently garnering her attention. Taking the next paper from the top of the stack to his left, he brought it down, gave it a quick once through, then stamped it.

"Have you finished everything?"

Shuurei nodded once. "I did. Is there anything else you'd like for me to do?"

Turning to his right, he saw the pale pink sunlight filtering in through the windows.

Unlike himself, most of the officials working for him did not spend the majority of their waking hours cramped within the confines of the department. Looking around, he wasn't surprised to see they were the only ones in the room. Even the usually-diligent Yuuri had left early, after nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

His department was composed of a bunch of slackers, he thought irritably, noticing Daiwa Lei's desk, still covered in paperwork. Kijin's eyes narrowed. Nothing would save the lower official from his wrath now.

"Ah! That's right. There's still some paperwork for the agricultural research program that needs to be completed," she said suddenly, her eyes lighting up. "If it's alright, I'll finish it before I leave."

Slowly, he returned his gaze to her, his eyes widening. Of course. Shuurei wasn't like the others that worked for him. Behind his mask, a small smirk formed on his lips.

"Do as you wish."

"Before that, though," Shuurei said, catching him off-guard as she went back to her desk. When she returned, she held a lacquered box in her hands, the lid already removed. "Would you like some manjuu? I noticed you didn't have anything at all the whole day, not even a cup of tea. That can't be good for your body."

Kijin looked inside the box at the perfectly formed buns. Her famous manjuu. He eyed the stack of papers that still needed to be completed and then looked back at her, watching him expectantly. He could feel his resolve slipping.

"A small break couldn't hurt," he said finally, placing his brush down.

Shuurei's smile widened as she placed the box on his desk. "I'll be right back with some tea. Please, help yourself while I'm gone."

She turned on her heel and all but dashed out of the room, the sleeves of her clothing fluttering behind her. Kijin chuckled at the scene. Once she was gone, he took one of the buns and, pushing the button on the side of the mask, felt the mouth piece slide out of the way. Bringing the bun to his lips, he took a small bite, chewed it thoughtfully, and smiled.

They were even better than he imagined.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: White Chocolate  
Pairing: Kijin/Shuurei with touch of Ryuuki/Shuurei  
Rating: T

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and to the people who put this story on alert! Well, here's another chapter of White Chocolate for your reading and reviewing pleasure!

BTW, I'll say it right now that the ladder scene here is NOT my idea. It actually comes from a scene that happened in the novel/manga that did not make it into the anime. Actually, there are a LOT of Kijin/Shuurei moments that are not in the anime....

* * *

_Kou Shuurei, who passed as Tanka. You are to be assigned as a junior official to the Ministry of Finance, Department of Finance._

Shuurei had been surprised, to say the least, that she was assigned to the same department she had been in just months before, but it didn't upset her. After all, Chamberlain Kou, although he was a bit of slave driver, was a good person and very fair. She felt honored to be working for him again.

Although, if she were completely honest, she did feel a little bit envious of Eigetsu and Hakumei. To be assigned co-governors at such a young age was a privilege - no, an honor! Still, she had achieved what she had thought at one point to be impossible - to be an official.

Thinking back, she decided that her first day had been interesting, to say the least. She had been expecting some hostility from the other officials - after all, it would take a while for them to be used to the idea of a woman in government, but she hadn't thought they would go about it in such juvenile means. Blocking the door? Honestly! If they had known what she had gone through, they would have realized how futile their efforts were.

The one thing she definitely had _not _expected was for Chamberlain Kou to stop the one official - Daiwa Lei, if she remembered correctly - from his 'torment'. She wasn't foolish enough to think that he had done it solely for her sake. More than likely, he had been annoyed that she was being kept from completing her work.

She would have been lying, though, if she said that she didn't feel the least bit flattered - and embarrassed - by his actions.

"Ojou-sama?" Seiran asked, concern seeping into his voice. "Are you alright?"

Shuurei shook her head, laughing sheepishly. Picking up her bowl, she said, "I'm fine! I must have spaced out a little. Sorry!"

"So, how is your job, Shuurei?" Shouka asked, taking a bite of his rice.

This conversation sounded awfully familiar to her. She frowned, trying to figure out the reason for this feeling of déjà vu, when it hit her. Of course! Kouyuu had asked her the same thing when she had been working for the Department of Finance that summer.

"It's more challenging than last time," she started, thinking of all the work that was sitting on her desk, just waiting to be completed, "but, somehow, that only makes it even more satisfying."

She decided to leave out the little detail about how her fellow official had been harassing her until Chamberlain Kou had put him in his place. She didn't want her father or Seiran to worry about her, especially over something so trivial. Besides, she had dealt with much worse over the last two months.

"I see. But I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying yourself."

Seiran nodded. "By the way, Ojou-sama, if you are going to be coming home this late, maybe you should let either Shouka-sama or me cook dinner. It wouldn't be right for you to have to work so hard, especially after coming home so late from work."

"No, no. It's alright, really Seiran!" she said, waving her hands frantically. The thought of Seiran cooking wasn't too distressing, but her father? She tried to repress a shudder. "I'll be alright, so don't worry about me."

"If that's what you want," he said hesitantly, a worried look on his face. "But please try not to burn yourself out. You always try so hard to do everything by yourself, but don't be afraid to ask for help from time to time."

Shuurei smiled softly, closing her eyes. "I understand. I promise." Looking at her father's empty bowl, she asked, "Would you like some more rice, Otou-sama?"

"Huh? Ah, yes. Thank you, Shuurei."

"You're welcome," she said, taking the bowl from him and scooping in more rice.

"By the way, Shuurei, how often do you think you'll be staying late?" Shouka asked.

Shuurei returned the bowl to him and frowned. "I'm not sure. There's so much that needs to be done, so I'd say more frequently than not."

"I see," he said, picking up a bit of rice with his chopsticks. "I'm sure everything will work out for the best."

"I think so too," she agreed, smiling gently.

After cleaning the dishes and making sure the kitchen was straightened for the next morning, Shuurei bid her father and Seiran goodnight, closing her room's door behind her. She considering reading a little before going to sleep, but at the rate things were going, she could barely keep her eyes open. Letting out a loud yawn, she stretched, groaning as she felt her back pop in a few places.

"Ah! That felt so good!"

Taking off her outer robes, she placed them on the chair in front of her desk and, after blowing out the candle, hurried to her bed. The weather was getting progressively warmer as the days passed, although it was still chilly at night.

"At least the hardest part is out of the way," she said quietly to herself, shivering at the coolness of the sheets as she slipped under the covers. "Now I know, more or less, what to expect everyday."

Letting out a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep. After a couple of minutes, she turned onto her side and then, a moment later, to the other before finally resting on her back. She continued tossing and turning for an hour before she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.

No matter how tired her body felt, her mind felt like it was going a million kilometers a minute. She frowned. It confused her, but there was something gnawing at the back of her mind, as though something were amiss.

Had she forgotten to finish something before leaving for the night? No, that couldn't have been it. Somehow, she had finished the paperwork for the agricultural research program. Maybe she had forgotten to blow out the candle at the department before she had left? Well, she had left the candle burning, but that was only because Chamberlain Kou was still working, so it only made sense.

Now that she thought about it, she had been rather informal with him, much more than usual. She wasn't sure what had come over her when she had offered him one of her manjuu and some tea, like she would do for Shuuei or Kouyuu. She had looked back at his hunched form and remembered that he hadn't had anything the whole day, like herself, and it was like her body was on auto-pilot.

Shuurei thought about it and winced. She knew he had eaten some of her manjuu, since there were a couple missing, but he hadn't really said anything once she had come back. Could it be that she had somehow offended him? It was possible, although she would have thought he would have said something - anything - about it.

"But, knowing Kou-shousho, I wouldn't be surprised if he wouldn't," she said, biting her lower lip nervously. "I guess I have no choice. I'm just going to have to apologize for my rudeness."

Satisfied, she closed her eyes again and, this time, she slipped into dreamless sleep.

* * *

As she entered the department, Shuurei was relieved to see that no one else was there, with the exception of Chamberlain Kou. Looking to her left, she was a little surprised to see Vice-Chamberlain Kei's seat empty. She hadn't expected to be in earlier than him, but she certainly wasn't complaining.

Now was her chance.

"Good morning, Kou-shousho," she said, crossing the room until she was in front of his desk.

Not bothering to take glance up from his work, Chamberlain Kou nodded. "Hm."

"What would you like me to do today?"

"There's already a stack of papers on your desk that need to be filled out, given to the appropriate department, or filed."

"Y-you're right," Shuurei said, looking back at her desk. She flinched at the size of the pile, nearly double what she had gotten through yesterday. It seemed like she would be spending another late night in the department. "Um, Kou-shousho?"

This time, he glanced up from his work to look at her - or, at least, she could only guess he was looking at her. Not for the first time, she wished she could see the expression behind that mask he always insisted on wearing.

"What is it?"

"I just-I wanted to-" Clearing her throat, Shuurei started again, "I just wanted to apologize for the other day."

Kijin said nothing. After a moment, he returned to his work. "What for? There's nothing to apologize for."

"But, I was acting so familiar with-"

"As I said, there's nothing for you to apologize for," he repeated firmly, effectively ending the conversation. "Now, don't you have work that needs to be done?"

Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness! She was glad she hadn't offended him, acting so familiar. Bowing, she said, "Of course."

An hour and a half later, the place was bustling with the other officials, all rushing about, trying to get their work completely. Somehow, the sight amused her more than it should have; she was certain that, to an outsider, they all looked like chickens with their heads cut off, some more than others.

"I don't know how you can handle it, Kou-san," an official by the name of Juro Nao commented. Of all the officials in the department - with the exception of Chamberlain Kou and Vice-Chamberlain Kei, obviously - he was the only one making an effort at being amiable. "You have more to do than the rest of us, and, even though you're the newest official here, you're able to get through your work much faster."

"Well, to be fair, it's only my second day. Everyone else have been doing this for a while," Shuurei pointed out. She started climbing the ladder near the bookshelves, a couple of feet from Nao's desk, trying to reach a book on one of the top shelves. "Just give me time, and I'm sure I'll be as worn out as the rest of you.

Nao chuckled in response. "I don't know. Somehow, I doubt it." Noticing her shaky stance, he frowned. "Are you sure you don't want help? You look like you're about to fall from there."

"No, no, I'm okay," she said, shaking her head. Smiling, she showed him the book she had in her hand. "See? I already got it, so there's nothing for you to worry abou-"

Before she was able to finish her sentence, she felt the step beneath her feet give way, the wood snapping right down the middle. Shuurei dropped the book and tried to grab onto the rails, but it was useless. She could feel herself fall from the ladder and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her body to make impact with ground.

She wasn't too high off the ground so, if she was lucky, maybe she'd only sprain her ankle instead of breaking it.

Her body never made contact with the ground, though. Instead, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, her back hitting against something warm and firm. From behind, a hand reached out and held the ladder against the bookshelf. She stared at the yellow sleeve of the person behind her and tried to keep from blushing, although she knew it was pointless.

"K-kou-shousho?" she asked in disbelief, turning around to face him. He had left the office half an hour ago to go to court. When had he returned?

"That ladder is dangerous," he said firmly, removing his hand from her shoulder. "You should be more careful."

"I understand. I'm so sorry." She bowed deeply, mostly in an attempt to hide her blush from him and the other officials. "Please forgive me."

"It wouldn't do to have an official injured and unable to work," he said, returning back to his desk.

She nodded. "I understand." Looking at the ground, she picked up the book she had dropped and returned to her desk, trying to ignore the stares from the other officials around her. As she returned to her desk, she noticed Lei glaring at her.

"You know, you can't really kill with just looks," she said wryly, taking a seat at her desk.

Lei huffed. As he passed her desk, he whispered, "It must be nice to be in Kou-shousho's favor, and so quickly too!"

"Maybe if you actually did your work instead of keep me from doing mine, you'd be in better favor with him."

She was somewhat confused by what Lei had meant, that she was in Chamberlain Kou's favor. She was fairly certain that he didn't hold her in any higher esteem than any of the other officials. At least, he didn't act like he did.

Giving her one last glare, Lei stomped out of the room. Shuurei resisted the urge to roll her eyes, instead focusing on the pile of papers in front of her. So that's what it was all about: he was jealous. The fact that she was a woman probably didn't help matters either.

She shrugged, taking the paper at the top of the pile, and started working. Apparently, she had lost track of time, because the next thing she knew, Nao was tapping her on the shoulder.

"Huh?" she asked, jumping in her seat and then looking up at him in confusion. "Oh, Juro-dono! Is there something you needed?"

He shook his head, laughing lightly. "No, it's nothing like that. I was just wondering if you were going to leave yet. It's already getting late."

Shuurei looked towards the windows and gasped softly. The sun had almost completely set in the horizon, the faintest of pink lights barely filtering in through the windows. She hadn't even noticed that it was evening. Glancing back at him, she shook her head.

"I only have a few more things to complete, and then I'll leave. I just can't stand the thought that I left something incomplete."

"You almost sound like Kou-shousho," he said, looking back at the masked man. "Well, if that's the case, I'll see you tomorrow."

Nodding, she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

A moments later, he was gone, and there was silence, save for a few cicadas chirping outside. Letting out a heavy sigh, she picked up one of the documents and frowned. Would she really be able to finish this tonight?

"Kou Shuurei," Chamberlain Kou called out.

Her eyes to widen in surprise. Getting up from her seat, which took surprisingly more effort than she thought, she walked over to his desk. "Yes, sir. What can I do for you?"

Much to her surprise, he was not hunched over his desk like he usually was. Instead, he was looking straight at her. How odd.

"Are you staying late again?"

"Yes, Kou-shousho. At least, that's what I was planning on doing. I'm almost done with the work you assigned me."

"I see."

Shuurei looked at him curiously. "Is-is there anything wrong with that?"

"Not at all," he said, resting his elbows on his desk. "However, since staying late is your intention, perhaps it would be best to take a small break first. You didn't have anything at all the whole day, not even a cup of tea. That can't be good for your body."

In spite of herself, a small smile formed on her face as she blushed. She was surprised to hear him throw her words from last night back at her. It was ironic, hearing those words coming from him, not that she'd ever tell him that to his face.

"I understand. Perhaps you would also like to take a break, Kou-shousho?"

"I suppose so," he said as she went to desk to get the lacquered box that had been resting on the floor, forgotten the whole day.

When she returned she placed the box on his desk, careful to keep it off any documents as best she could, and removed the top. "Would you care for some fried sesame dumplings? I'm afraid they aren't warm now."

"It doesn't matter," he said, taking one of the dumplings and, pushing one of the buttons on the side of his mask, placed it in his mouth.

She took a dumpling for herself and chewed it thoughtfully. It was okay, she supposed, although it tasted much better when it was warm.

"You are aware that you are not obligated to stay this late."

"Huh?" she asked, her hand hovering over the food for a moment before she took another dumpling. "I-I know. But then, you always stay late too, and you're here much earlier than I am."

"That's different. I'm the head of this department. Besides, I'm trying to set an example for the other officials to be more diligent than they currently are."

"I see. That makes sense. Although I'm not sure it's having as much of an impact as you might have liked..."

Chamberlain Kou huffed. "I can see that."

"That doesn't make your actions any less admirable, though," she said quickly. "A-anyway, I should probably finish my work...and all."

He nodded as she removed the box from the table and started making her way back to the desk. "Of course. And Shuurei?"

She turned around, her eyes wide with surprise and confusion. Had he just called her by her first name? "Yes?"

"Thank you for the meal. It was delicious."

She stared at him for a moment before a small, gentle smile spread on her face. "You're welcome, Kou-shousho."


End file.
